Our Rule of Life

We wrote a rule of life together before our wedding, and committed to this in addition to more traditional vows.  Our friend Kri Schlafer created the accompanying artwork, which was framed along with our words and processed in to our wedding liturgy.  It now hangs on the front wall of our house, and each year on our anniversary we recommit to it and review how faithful we have been to it.

In response to a God

    who always reaches out in love and compassion
    who becomes vulnerable to be close to us
    who offers abundant joy, healing, and reconciliation,

We resolve to live our lives in covenant

    with this God and with one another
    to be and to act,
    through the seasons of our lives
    in the following ways...

We commit to becoming more fully ourselves:

    to care for our bodies,

      striving for health and balance
      and taking the rest that we need

    to care for our emotions,

      through struggle and growth
      to healing and grace

    to pursue our passions and our gifts,

      taking advantage of opportunities to
      share our unique abilities with others

    to be vulnerable to God

      and the stirrings of the Spirit,
      entering into conversation daily with our God and
      looking for Christ's presence in our experiences.

We commit to relationship with our beloved:

    to empower each other in our personal journeys,

      encouraging and challenging each other to new growth

    to meet each other intimately,

      sharing honestly and openly,
      engaging in healthy conflict,
      risking hurt but inviting love

    to play joyfully,

      moving to the rhythm of the Spirit
      inviting fun, creativity, and surprise into our lives

    to give our bodies to each other

      in vulnerability and trust,
      welcoming new life into our family,
      however God may grant it.

We commit to a lifestyle of discipleship:

    to be in intentional relationship

      with friends and family,
      calling on their love and support when we are in need,
      asking them to call us to accountability when we stray

    to move toward greater community,

      reaching out to those who live in our neighborhood,
      supporting larger efforts to bring people together

    to live simply,

      mindful of our consumption,
      sharing what we have
      in a spirit of abundance rather than scarcity

    to bear God’s justice,

      standing in solidarity with those who have less,
      working for peace in the midst of violence,
      speaking for those whose voices go unheard.

Confident that God

    who has begun a good work in us will complete it,
    we make these vows on May 15, 2004.
        Ann Naffziger
        Paul Canavese